Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard Bio
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard is a French professional tennis player born on 8 July 2003 in Lyon, France. Standing 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) tall, he plays right-handed with a one-handed backhand and turned professional in 2021. He reached a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 29 on 24 February 2025, and he is regarded as one of the most powerful servers in the modern game. Mpetshi Perricard has won two ATP Tour singles titles and represents France at the Davis Cup.
In 2025, he broke the Wimbledon Championships tournament record with a 153 mph serve, and he also set the record for the fastest second serve ever recorded at 147 mph during the same tournament. These feats underline his reputation as one of the rising stars of French tennis.
Early Life and Background
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard was born in Lyon to parents Ghislain Mpetshi-Kalongo and Sylvie Perricard. His father emigrated from Congo to France in the 1990s, while his mother is a former volleyball player. His father is a former semi-professional footballer, and the family remains deeply involved in multiple sports.
Mpetshi Perricard began taking tennis lessons in his early childhood and developed his game in the Lyon region. He grew up alongside two sisters, Ariane and Daphnée, the latter of whom is also a tennis player. The blend of athletic heritage and a strong sporting environment at home helped shape his early development and competitive mindset.
Path to Tennis
Mpetshi Perricard built his foundation on the ITF junior circuit, where he achieved strong results. In 2021, he won the boys’ doubles title at the French Open alongside compatriot Arthur Fils, and he also reached the semifinals in boys’ singles at the same tournament, losing to Fils. He reached an ITF junior combined ranking of world No. 4 on 5 July 2021.
His junior success opened the door to professional opportunities, and he transitioned into the senior ranks the same year. The 2021 junior French Open doubles title remains one of his earliest and most visible accomplishments.
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard Career
Early Career (2021-2023)
Mpetshi Perricard turned professional in 2021 and began collecting results on the ITF World Tennis Tour while competing in select junior events. He received a wildcard for the 2023 French Open for his Grand Slam debut but lost in the first round to Genaro Alberto Olivieri. The same month, he made his ATP Tour debut at the Rosmalen Open as a qualifier, falling in the first round to Jordan Thompson.
In October 2023, Mpetshi Perricard won his first ATP Challenger singles title at the 2023 León Open, defeating Juan Pablo Ficovich in the final. Later that month, he reached his first ATP quarterfinal in Antwerp, defeating Roberto Carballés Baena and home favorite David Goffin before losing to eventual champion Alexander Bublik. As a result, he entered the top 200 on 23 October 2023.
ATP Breakthrough (2024)
In May 2024, Mpetshi Perricard won his first ATP Tour title at the Lyon Open as a wildcard, defeating Lorenzo Sonego, Yoshihito Nishioka, Hugo Gaston, Alexander Bublik, and sixth seed Tomás Martín Etcheverry in the final. He became the lowest-ranked titlist in the tournament’s history and climbed more than 50 spots to a career-high No. 66 on 27 May 2024.
At the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, he entered the main draw as a lucky loser and defeated twentieth seed Sebastian Korda in a five-set match with four tiebreaks, producing 51 aces to record his first Major win. He then reached the fourth round by defeating Yoshihito Nishioka and Emil Ruusuvuori before falling to Lorenzo Musetti, becoming the first lucky loser to reach the Wimbledon fourth round since Dick Norman in 1995.
In October 2024, Mpetshi Perricard won his first ATP 500 title at the Swiss Indoors in Basel, defeating Ben Shelton in the final. Ranked No. 50, he became the lowest-ranked champion in the tournament’s tour-level era. He then upset fourteenth seed Frances Tiafoe at the 2024 Rolex Paris Masters before losing to Karen Khachanov, reaching the top 30 on 4 November 2024.
2025 Season
Mpetshi Perricard opened 2025 by reaching the semifinals in Brisbane before exiting in the first round at the Australian Open. In May, he won his first Challenger title in more than a year at the Paribas Primrose Bordeaux, defeating Nikoloz Basilashvili in the final. Later that month, he recorded his first French Open match win by defeating Zizou Bergs before falling to Damir Džumhur in the second round.
During the grass season, he took world No. 5 Taylor Fritz to five sets at Wimbledon and broke the tournament serve-speed record with a 153 mph first serve, though he lost the point. He later reached the quarterfinals of a Masters 1000 for the first time in Shanghai, defeating Taylor Fritz for his first victory against a top 10 player. He also reached the semifinals at the European Open, defeating Lorenzo Musetti for his second top 10 win.
2026 Season
In early 2026, Mpetshi Perricard reached the quarterfinals in Brisbane and Auckland before suffering a string of first-round exits that pushed him into qualifying draws. In February, he parted ways with long-time coach Emmanuel Planque. A brief collaboration with Francisco Roig ended after less than a month.
He was later joined by coaches Greg Rusedski and Philippe Dehaes in 2026. He lost in the first round at the Australian Open, Indian Wells, Miami, Geneva, and Roland Garros, where he fell to Novak Djokovic. He also withdrew from Monte Carlo and Madrid due to a wrist injury before returning in Rome.
Driving Style and Strengths
Mpetshi Perricard is one of the most powerful servers in professional tennis, with an average first serve of 135 mph and average second serve of 123 mph as of December 2024. Although his ball toss is not as high as that of other players, he generates significant power through his height and athleticism. His serve-first game has produced headline serve records at Grand Slam events.
Notable Events and Milestones
His 153 mph serve at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships set the tournament record, while his 147 mph second serve set the all-time record for fastest second serve. Other milestones include his first ATP 500 title in Basel in 2024 and his run to the Wimbledon fourth round as a lucky loser.
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard Career Wins
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard has collected titles at multiple levels of professional tennis, including two ATP Tour singles titles, five ATP Challenger singles titles, one ITF World Tennis Tour singles title, and a junior Grand Slam doubles title at the 2021 French Open. His wins span hard, clay, and grass surfaces.
ATP Tour Highlights
He won his first ATP title at the 2024 Lyon Open and added his second at the 2024 Swiss Indoors in Basel, an ATP 500 event. His Basel victory over Ben Shelton made him the lowest-ranked champion at the tournament since it became a tour-level event in 1975.
Other Wins and Performances
On the ATP Challenger Tour, he won titles at the 2023 León Open, the 2024 Nottingham Challenger, the 2024 Morelos Open, the 2024 GNP Seguros Tennis Open in Acapulco, and the 2025 Paribas Primrose Bordeaux. He also won an ITF World Tennis Tour singles title and three ITF doubles titles, alongside his 2021 junior French Open doubles crown with Arthur Fils.
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard Family
Family Background and Sporting Lineage
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard’s father, Ghislain Mpetshi-Kalongo, is a former semi-professional footballer who emigrated from Congo to France in the 1990s. His mother, Sylvie Perricard, is a former volleyball player. The couple raised Giovanni and his two sisters in Lyon.
Personal Life
He has two sisters, Ariane and Daphnée, and Daphnée is also a tennis player. The family remains involved in multiple sports, supporting Giovanni’s professional career from France.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season was defined by milestones in serving records and top-level breakthroughs. Mpetshi Perricard began the year strongly with a semifinal in Brisbane, although he exited in the first round of the Australian Open. He picked up a Challenger title in Bordeaux and his first French Open main-draw victory before turning heads at Wimbledon with his record-breaking serves against Taylor Fritz.
Later in the year, he reached his first Masters 1000 quarterfinal in Shanghai, defeating Taylor Fritz for his first career top 10 win. He added a second top 10 victory against Lorenzo Musetti at the European Open in Antwerp, where he reached the semifinals. By the end of 2025, he held a career-high singles ranking of No. 29.
His results on faster surfaces underlined his serve-first game and pointed to continued growth on the ATP Tour. With proven weapon on serve and growing baseline consistency, Mpetshi Perricard entered the 2026 season among the most closely watched French players.